The Benefits of Side Vision Awareness Glasses (SVAG) for Stroke and Hemianopsia.

Описание: The Benefits of Side Vision Awareness Glasses (SVAG) for Stroke and Hemianopsia
Hello, and welcome back to the Low Vision Learning Channel.
I’m Dr. Sal and I'm a low vision optometrist, and today we’re going to talk about a very important technology for people who have lost part of their side vision after a stroke or brain injury — Side Vision Awareness Glasses, also known as SVAG.

Part 1 – Understanding the Problem

After a stroke or brain injury, some people develop a condition called hemianopsia.
This means that vision is missing on one side — for example, you may only see the right side of the world, and miss everything on the left.
This can make walking, reading, or even crossing the street unsafe and challenging.

Part 2 – What Are Side Vision Awareness Glasses?

Side Vision Awareness Glasses are specially designed glasses that contain a prism built into the lens.
Think of it like the side-view mirror in a car — the prism shifts what’s happening on your blind side into the part of your vision you can still see.
Instead of a blind spot, you now get a wider, single image, which makes it much easier to detect people, obstacles, and movement on the side you would normally miss.

Part 3 – Benefits of Side Vision Awareness Glasses
These glasses offer several important benefits:
• They expand your visual field, giving you greater awareness of your environment.
• They improve safety when walking, driving (where permitted), or moving around in crowded areas.
• Compared with older prism systems, SVAG give better contrast, a wider single image, and are more natural-looking and comfortable to wear.
• Many people find them more discreet and aesthetically pleasing than older designs, which makes it easier to wear them daily.

Part 4 – How to Use Side Vision Awareness Glasses

Using Side Vision Awareness Glasses takes practice.
You’ll learn to move your eyes and head so the prism captures what’s on your blind side.
With time, your brain adapts and begins to blend this new information into your everyday vision.
We usually start with simple training indoors, and then progress to outdoor walking and real-world tasks.

Side Vision Awareness Glasses can make a real difference for people with hemianopsia, improving safety, confidence, and independence.
If you or a loved one has one-sided vision loss after a stroke or brain injury, talk to your low vision optometrist to see if SVAG may be right for you.

Thanks for watching. If you found this video helpful, please like, subscribe, and share it with someone who may benefit. And remember — even with vision loss, there are always tools to help you see more.

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